Everything for Her Happiness
by Astral and Celestial
Summary: One-shot. "I…I don't want to go though. I've only been here 3 months…but I have to go…" Yuri is brilliant but plain, and always lost in her own mind. At 13, she gets the opportunity to go to Japan and rediscovers not only herself, but also her passions. She admires Echizen from afar and, inspired, learns tennis herself. So when Echizen is even later to his match with Yukimura...


Disclaimer: I sadly do not own Prince of Tennis. All credit to Takeshi Konomi~

Summary: Yuri is a brilliant Japanese girl born in America who longs to visit Japan. She isn't remarkably pretty, nor is she anywhere _near_ social. But she loves, and embraces, her heritage as a Japanese girl. However, she's never visited Japan before, even thoguh she's hear so many stories about her homeland. So with a lot of persuading, her parents finally allow her to attend her mother's childhood school-Seishun Academy. One day, she locks eyes with the school's resident tennis prodigy, and suddenly, all the memories of the anime are slammed into her head. Inspired, she starts to play tennis. But what will she do when Echizen is even more late to the Nationals Finals for his match with Yukimura?

Her name was Kai Yuri.

Yuri meant Lily, but she was far from it. She was not a slender beauty like most girls. Even at the age of 12, she was 5"4', and 130 pounds to boot (though most of it was muscle since pretty much the only fat she possessed was her stomach fat). She had grown up in America, her parents Japanese immigrants. While her talents in reading and writing could rival college-level students (and quite possibly surpass them), her social skills left much to be desired.

"I have no friends. Friends are close, intimate. Friends are trusted. I have _acquaintances_. Acquaintances are people you know. Acquaintances betray you."

Her only friend that she claimed was her older sister—the perfect Kai Ayame. Ayame meant Iris, and the older sister was everything a girl could want to be: famous, talented, social, beautiful, athletic, slender, light…and yes—Ayame, at age sixteen, was already on the American gymnastics scene, known as a talented gymnast in all events.

At 12, Yuri left 8th grade in her self-study program (she took placement tests each year). Then she told her parents of the idea that had been building within her for the past year.

"I want to go to Japan for 9th grade."

Her parents had gaped at her announcement at the dinner table. Ayame had praised her decision, smiling happily.

"Have fun! Make some new friends! Learn more about Japan!"

So at 13 years old, Yuri had entered into Seishun Gakuen. Fortunately, her self-study "school year" was based off the Japanese school year, starting in April and ending in March.

However, she had stayed withdrawn amongst the seniors.

Already taking high school and AP courses (most namely AP Greek, AP Computer Science, and Pre-Calculus), she didn't speak very often, usually preferring to remain in the back—where it was safe. Her Japanese writing and reading were not as perfect as her English (in eloquence and penmanship), but she stayed at the top of her class with enough effort.

Joining the photography club was nice for her. Though there weren't many people in the club, she enjoyed just taking pictures—not to mention she was required to join a club anyways.

Her days were passed in silent content. After all, she couldn't muster up energy for anything besides studies, even in America…

One day, she caught sight of him. Echizen Ryoma, the tennis prodigy the whole school had been whispering about. As soon as she had locked eyes with him, flashes filled her mind of his future, his past, his present. Quickly, she broke their staring contest and continued to head for English.

The images stayed ingrained in her mind though.

Who knew…? It made no sense, how she could just _know_ these things—how his story played through her mind like an anime before her eyes.

Later that day, after walking home from school, she slammed her bag down on her desk in the apartment of her grandparents (though they were in America). A fierce fire burned in her eyes.

"I'm going to learn how to play tennis!"

And when she set her mind to something, she accomplished the task. When she finished her studies that day, she went out and bought a tennis racket and a small crate of 30 tennis balls.

After finishing her homework, she spent her time outside the building with a tennis racket and a tennis ball, practicing over and over again against the brick wall. The first few times, she had hit her face with the ball, but she got better at dodging. And hitting, of course.

She practiced everything she could—forms, postures, grips, movements. A few flash memories of the forehand, backhand, overhead, basic serves, and footwork went through her mind as she practiced. Though she didn't know where they came from, she appreciated the knowledge, because they helped set a foundation for her learning.

She practiced and practiced, until she felt she could do no more alone. So she headed to the street courts and learned how to play with the others for free. It was slow going at first, but she got better each and every time, heading to the courts right after school and staying up later every night to finish her homework, usually forgoing (or bolting down) dinner.

 _The Pinnacle of Perfection—enjoying herself._

And then she met Ryuzaki Sumire, and she spoke.

"Sensei…will you teach me how to play professionally?"

And then she'd spilled.

Not completely, but mostly everything.

How she always felt alone, studied hard to counter her imperfection in everything else, how she'd searched, searched, and searched for the sport that she loved but could never find, how she just couldn't do anything!...and how Echizen Ryoma had showed her tennis was the sport she was looking for. How she practiced so hard, and learned so much, how she worked, and set her mind to it, how she searched, and never found, a suitable coach, how she had progressed…and how she needed to learn how to play professionally because that was the only way she could honor the freshman's unknown gift to her.

The coach had listened to her sympathetically, and hugged her.

Then the coach had played with her, given her tips, and they met every week just to play a match.

And every day, Yuri would go back to the courts and just practice. Practice…until she couldn't move. Then she would drag herself onto her bed at home, not caring for once that she was covered in sweat, and fall asleep until the next day. Every day was an endless routine. School, homework, practice, sleep. Or rather: Food, school, homework, food, practice, sleep. And every Saturday, instead of practicing in the courts, practicing with Ryuzaki-sensei.

Either way, Yuri was managing…

Until she won Ryuzaki-sensei 6 games to Love.

And that was when her training was complete.

She went to the Nationals too, and watched the Seigaku regulars evolve in admiration.

Of course, she went in disguise.

Instead of the tightly-bound bun of black hair, exposing her round face, and a thick jacket over black pants, she let her hair down into a half-ponytail, where she bound the top half of her hair in a small ponytail that reached her chest and let her other locks of hair do what they wished. A few strands framed her face, giving her a more elegant look, and she had taken off her usual reading glasses. She wore a tight sports bra underneath a pale blue T-shirt made of smooth, slippery polyester that would absorb her sweat and yet not cling to her body. The white collar flaps and the three buttons made it look similar to the Seigaku regulars' shirts. In the front, the blue mixed with white—and though it was somewhat too long (going almost to mid-thigh), the loose shirt was pleasant and rather flattering on her. She also wore a dark, blue-gray skirt reaching her knees with slits up to mid-thigh and shorts the same color attached below the skirt.

They were hand-me-downs, but some of the only sports clothes that she had ever personally worn. Ayame had given them to her with a sweet smile, telling her to wear them if playing sports "so you know your sister is cheering for you!"

In other words, the athlete persona was completely different from her studious guise.

At the finals, she secretly snickered as the Rikkai cheering squad continued on its "INVINCIBLE!" chat.

"Hey, didn't you guys lose in the Kantou Finals?" she finally called out to them, silencing the cheering squad with the cool, calm tone.

They looked around for who said it, but Yuri snickered into her arm as she pretended to cough like many audience members.

Yuri looked almost in horror as Tooyama Kintarou of Shitenhouji collapsed, blind and unseeing.

From the memory of Echizen's future, he was supposed to arrive after Kintarou had collapsed, but she had heard Momoshiro's wail of a broken tire—which had not happened before. Judging by the delay, Echizen would be about an hour late…

She gripped the dark blue racket tightly.

For the boy who inspired her to play tennis…she would play.

She vaulted over the railing similar to the other rookie.

"So, Child of God?" she grinned. "Will you play a game with me?"

His eyes looked incredibly amused as he acquiesced to her request (demand).

They had murmured, but no one seemed to recognize her, to her incredible amusement.

"Yuri!"

"Meh, it's okay, old hag," she casually waved Ryuzaki-sensei off. "The Yuki-shiri guy," Ryuzaki choked (Yuki-shiri: Snow-butt) along with most of the audience, "already agreed. I want to play him too! Wild weirdo over there can't be the only one!" she childishly responded, stomping her foot.

Ryuzaki sweat-dropped along with most of the audience (again).

"Let's start, O Great One!" she grinned, mocking tone of disbelief clear.

"Flower VS Snow, Yuri. Snow always wins," the coach shook her head in pity.

Thirty minutes later, they were tied at 30-30.

Even though her sight and touch had already been stolen away, she had to continue—just thirty more minutes. Sadly for her, her hearing fled just then.

With only smell and taste remaining, she concentrated on her mind. Just by guessing by how she would hit the ball and return it, she continued the rally.

Quite honestly, Yuri was useless at rallies; she preferred using her own style of precision and tactics before showing any special moves. She excelled in speed and ruthless, swift moves that usually ended the game under fifteen minutes. Still…she had to try.

Yukimura Seiichi watched in admiration as the girl continued.

She'd already lost most of her senses, but she was still continuing on, hitting back each ball her sent.

She barely managed to hit each ball, always stumbling and falling, racing to catch up.

She should have given up long ago…

Yuri tripped and lost her racket. Instantly, sweat pouring down her face, she grabbed it and threw it in the direction of the ball.

The ball hit, spun…

And she won a point.

As per her calculations.

She hit, hit, hit, ran, chased, fell, stumbled…

Her body was reaching its limit. She was slick with sweat, burning hot, and completely exhausted.

How long had it been?

Thirty minutes?

Everything was a haze; it felt like she was dreaming.

Was Echizen here yet?

Something rested upon her shoulder, after she fell once again, racket sliding from her sweaty grasp.

She blinked unseeing eyes at whatever it was.

The touch felt familiar for some reason.

She shook her head and forced herself to crawl in the direction her racket had gone in, dragging herself, blindly scrabbling about.

Had she lost already? She couldn't remember…

Ryuzaki returned to her seat and watched as Yuri dragged herself after her racket, sweat decorating every inch of her skin.

Scrapes decorated each inch of her body, her unseeing eyes darted frantically around...

The image of the girl dragging herself, pushing her body to the limit and over, burned into her mind.

All for the sake of helping Seigaku to the Nationals championships...

She checked her watch.

Yuri had been playing for fifty eight minutes now.

56-56.

56-57.

57-57.

It went on.

The stadium was completely silent, just watching them play.

Yukimura wasn't even sweating, he hadn't removed his jacket from his shoulders.

Yuri was drowning in sweat, but she continued pushing herself.

As Ryuzaki watched, she remembered the first few points.

Instead of Yuri's calm, calculating style, quick, precise, and efficient, the girl began to hit long rallies.

To stall, the coach had realized. So Ryoma would have time. And to conserve her energy.

Yuri hit, hit, hit, rallies after rallies.

The girl hadn't seemed to mind running around all over the place, continuously hitting it to the same spot so that...what? so that Yukimura wouldn't lose a point? Either way, she ran everywhere, hitting to the same spot...until she lost her senses. Three of them lost, she hit blindly, but she made it across each time.

She checked her watch.

An hour had passed.

Ryoma walked in just then.

And then Yuri stood up, legs shaking, and staggered forward.

One.

Two.

Ryuzaki ran forward.

Three.

Yuri crumpled, harsh breathing evening out as she fell into a deep slumber. The coach tenderly brushed the hair from the sweaty face as she carried the child onto the coach's bench, sitting beside her. Even when Seigaku erupted in happiness over their victory, the girl stayed silent, soaking the bench with her sweat and breathing evenly. When the coach lifted her up again, the bench was soaking wet. Yuri remained fast asleep.

Instead of joining the regulars in their celebration party at Kawamura Sushi, Ryuzaki took the girl back to her apartment, carrying the girl and her racket balanced on her stomach as she nudged open the always unlocked door ( _"It's not like there's anything useful in here. Actually, it'd be great if someone decided to steal my homework,"_ Yuri had waved off her concern).

"You have done much for us. Thank you," the coach whispered.

After placing the girl on the futon, Ryuzaki gently tucked her in and shut the door behind her as she left.

Yuri bolted upright, breathing heavily as she could finally see.

 _Is this what a blind man feels when he first sees?_ Yuri distantly wondered to herself as she took in the colors and items in her surroundings.

Her head spun and her vision tilted, blacking out in some places.

With a groan, she flopped back on her futon bed and rubbed her eyes.

 _How did I get here? The last thing I remember is playing against that Yuki-jiri guy…I wonder if Seigaku won the Nationals…probably, considering Echizen's determination and all._

Blinking, she let her arms fall to her sides with a thud as she stared up at the blank white ceiling.

"I'm tired," she mumbled to herself as she curled up in a tight ball and hugged her blankets, ignoring the cold air while burying her face in her pillow.

The next time she awoke, she stumbled out of bed and into the shower, hating the disgusting feeling of dried sweat clinging to her. As she lathered her hair with a generous amount (that's what the container said!) of shampoo, she ignored the suds falling to the ground—so perhaps she went overboard, but it _said_ generous!—and hummed idly to herself. Later on, she added two large handfuls of conditioner after rinsing her hair out to make sure it would come out smooth and soft.

 _My mouth tastes bad, too,_ she thought to herself as she stepped out of the shower, feeling pleasantly fresh as steam billowed out.

After loading her toothbrush with a large dollop of toothpaste, she set to freshening her mouth.

Ten minutes later, she rinsed her mouth out and inhaled deeply through her mouth, letting the fresh air soothe the sting of mint toothpaste.

With a turquoise, V-neck short-sleeve T-shirt hanging loosely around her frame and loose, black, knee-length shorts, the girl let her long hair swing freely as she threw open her window and inhaled the fresh morning air.

"Tadaima, minna (I'm back (home), everyone)," she grinned breathlessly.

For the first time in forever, she felt free.

Ryuzaki dropped in the afternoon.

"So you're finally awake," she remarked.

"Finally?" Yuri questioned. "How long have I been unconscious?"

"A week."

Yuri choked.

"A _week_?! Styx, Mei is going to be pissed. I promised I would video-call," she murmured, referring to the nickname she'd given her sister Ayame.

"We won the Nationals," Ryuzaki informed her, ignoring her murmured curses.

"Of course; I suspected so," Yuri responded. "So he made it in time?"

"Yes. I must thank you for that, Yuri," Ryuzaki's voice grew serious. "But what possessed you to do such a thing?"

Yuri blinked at her and smiled.

"He needed time."

She rarely spoke his name; there was no question about who 'he' was.

"Yuri…you like him."

Ryuzaki's voice grew incredulous as she blinked at her student, who had never shown any feminine tendencies whatsoever. Yuri, the tomboy, the…well, the emotionless girl no one could ever understand…who usually looked and sounded more like a boy than a girl.

Yuri smiled at Ryuzaki.

A bittersweet smile as her eyes sparked with emotion.

"No. Not just liked. Loved. My first love, I believe."

"You're two years older."

"Actually, no. Half a year older, to be exact."

Ryuzaki blinked.

"You haven't turned fourteen yet?"

"You can't tell. I hit a growth spurt; I'd rather be with people I can blend in with," Yuri shook her head, hair swinging. "I loved him, but I never would tell him. After all, I know for certain he doesn't even know my name or what I look like. He would never care; the boy as of yet cares only for tennis and his cat. I may know his life story, but I would never go so far as to inform him. I've somewhat moved on. It's more of a protective, sibling-like feeling now. But I'll never forget."

"First love," Ryuzaki murmured, nodding.

"You can't tell," Yuri warned her.

The coach laughed.

"Ah, young love. This reminds me of the time you arrived at the courts with your face all red. Was that because you just saw him, hmm~?"

Yuri spluttered.

" _Sensei!_ "

The coach had forced Yuri to stay inside the house ("No practicing! You just woke up today!"), and the girl was so…incredibly…bored!

For the umpteenth time, Yuri flopped back onto her bed, sighing.

"Nothing to do here," she whined to herself.

She had already finished all the summer homework, read her favorite books to pieces, tried to take a nap, and emailed her sister, apologizing for being absent, stating she had lost her WiFi password, and the phone had broken.

She was pulled from her thoughts as the phone rang and she scrambled to pick it up, shifting through the blankets on her bed to find the wayward cell-phone.

Moments later, as she ended the short phone call with her sister, she opened her laptop. Downing her seventeenth bottle of vanilla Frappuchino, she typed down her thoughts for the day, knowing she would them after finishing.

 _Seigaku has been enlightening,_ she typed. _I have never felt such exuberance gathered into one place. And though it's been lonely, I've felt a simple acceptance here, a sense of belonging that I've only just realized I was missing. They may not know me, but they have accepted me for who I was. Some have reached out to me in simple ways, such as partnering with me for a group project. It's been so lovely here in Japan, with the good manners and kindness they exude. The care they show just for everyone in general leaves me amazed. Before coming, I never thought it would be possible for a person, much less a culture, to be so respectful and considerate. Now, I know, and I have returned the favor._ For a moment, Yuri paused, remembering the past three months. _Though I've only been here for three months, I will miss Seishun Gakuen and Japan greatly. Still, though…my family is calling me home. Reluctant though I am, I will not refuse my family. I will remember this place, and cherish these memories. I will honor these people through my own actions. I will be an obedient child, and reflect the thoughtfulness shown to me by Japan and show it to the world._

Yuri let a smile grace her lips.

A bittersweet smile.

The phone call…

 _"How's Japan?"_

 _"It's been fun."_

 _"Really? Have you made any new friends?"_

 _"…Not really."_

 _"Ah, well, that's good, because you're coming home in a week."_

 _"Pardon?"_

 _"I said you're coming home in a week. Well, actually, you're coming home tomorrow now that you've been **gone** for a week!"_

 _"Why?"_

 _"I'm on summer break now; my friends are all on vacation and I'm alone at home."_

 _"…You have Okaa-san, Ojii-san, and Obaa-san though. And Penny lives next door." (Mom, Grandpa, Grandma)_

 _"I know, but, Yuri, Penny was hurt in a car accident…and I'm **scared**."_

 _"…"_

 _"I've already withdrawn you from the school and arranged the flights. Otou-san will pick you up from the airport tomorrow afternoon." (Dad)_

 _"…Alright then. Please email me the flight information."_

And that was that.

It was not the first time Yuri had sacrificed something for the sake of her beloved sister, but it was the first time Yuri had sacrificed something that _truly_ pleased her for Ayame's sake.

Yuri's bittersweet smile faded as resignation filled her eyes.

Sighing, she reached into another drawer and withdrew yet another bottle.

 _I want to drown in Vanilla Frappuchino, or at least get drunk._

Twenty minutes later, she printed that one day's thoughts after a minute of hesitation, torn between what to do.

Below it, she wrote in her somewhat messy handwriting:

 _Ryuzaki-sensei: Thank you for everything. Apologies for the troubles I gave you and lack of warning. Farewell._

With that, she printed out her flight information from the computer and folded it, tucking it into her jacket pocket as well as the previous paper.

Yuri glanced around.

She had never fully unpacked, having only brought five changes of everyday clothes and three changes of sportswear with her in the small suitcase along with her laptop, a notebook, a pillow, and two blankets. Her parents had provided her with all her school supplies and $1,000 in a bank account, half of which she had transferred into yen, leaving her with $500 dollars and 50,000 yen.

Cleaning after herself had been easy, and the apartment looked the same as when she had first stepped foot inside, save the distinct lack of dust now after her cleaning spree on the first day, and the twenty bottles of Vanilla Frappuchino on the table.

 _I'm still not drunk yet,_ she pouted sulkily as she collected all of the glass bottles and placed them gently in a cardboard box, which she then placed onto her black suitcase.

Taking a deep breath, she glanced around the small apartment as she left, closing the door and locking it securely behind her (for once).

After hanging the apartment key around her neck, she slipped the paper (her reflection upon her experiences in Japan and her farewell to Ryuzaki-sensei) into an envelope and sealed it, leaving it half under the apartment door, where it would be unnoticed unless someone was searching for anything in particular.

Night was falling fast.

 _Sayonara, Seigaku, Sensei._

With that final thought, she started towards the subway that would take her to the airport that would take her to America—away from the people she called friends.

"Flight 307B from Narita to SFO now boarding. Flight 307B from Narita to SFO now boarding."

Yuri sighed, at the middle of the line.

She would be number 43 to board, but it seemed everyone was moving slowly.

The clock read "4:07". In the morning.

Of course, her sweet sister chose the cheapest (and thus the most inconvenient) flight to save money.

Yuri sighed again.

 _Everything for her happiness._

 _I was never much of a rebel in the first place, after all._

 _Because I love her more than life itself._

 _Everything for her happiness._

So what was the sudden urge to disobey her sister?

Why did she suddenly feel the need to be… _selfish_?

It was everything for her sister's happiness.

That had been one of the only things Yuri had ever received praise for.

Not her perfect grades, honor classes, teacher's praises…

But her selflessness for her sister.

Her love.

Her adoration.

And her parents had encouraged that, until it was everything—including herself—for her sister.

Yuri shook her head sharply, removing her ticket.

 _Everything for her happiness._

She was swiftly approaching the ticket desk.

 _Everything for her happiness._

Almost there.

 _Even my own?_

Immediately—

 ** _Especially_** _my own._

At the ticket desk.

 _Everything for her happiness._

The airport attendant swiped the ticket and smiled a fake smile.

 _Everything for her happiness._

Her heart was breaking.

 _Everything for her happiness._

Such a fierce desire, warring between what she knew was right and what she wanted.

 _Everything for her happiness._

As the flight attendant welcomed Yuri aboard, Yuri nodded.

 _Everything for her happiness._

As the plane began to move, Yuri cried.

 _Everything for her happiness._

Tears fell as she parted from Japan.

 _Sayonara, Japan._

 _I'm sorry._

 _But it's **everything** for her happiness._

 _Everything for her happiness, because I love her._

 _Everything for her happiness, even my own._

 _…Everything for her happiness…including myself._

So how was it?~

Please review!

I wrote this in a fit of anger a few years back when my own older sister was being sort of selfish. Not that she knew, but I was in the middle of reading a really touching fic! It was only the ending that I scribbled down (since that's what I did-I dropped everything and went to her side), but I kept writing after that, and now I've decided to post this online!

Please be nice to me! This is my first fic in 3 years (bombed by flames and deleted my account), so I'm still really sensitive. Thank you for reading!

(PS: If anyone likes this fic and wants me to continue it, I might write a small sequel in which Yuri returns after summer break! And shoot me a review or PM if you have any questions! I'll be happy to answer them for you!)


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